YOUNGEST PATIENT: Cases of botulism have been only sporadically reported over the past few years, with two in 2015, six in 2016 and none in the past three years

Taipei Times
Date: Jul 08, 2020
By: Lee I-chia / Staff reporter

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday reported the nation’s first case of infant botulism this year, a four-month-old boy in northern Taiwan, as well as five new cases of Japanese encephalitis confirmed last week.

The boy was introduced to homemade solid food in the middle of last month, but began to experience constipation and loss of appetite on June 23, CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Deputy Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) said, adding that he was taken to the hospital when he developed a fever and shortness of breath on June 25.

In the hospital, the boy also experienced a rapid heartbeat, limb weakness, decreased deep-tendon reflex and drooping eyelids, leading healthcare professionals to suspect infant botulism, he said.

A test of the boy’s feces found the bacterium Clostridium botulinum (C botulinum) type B, confirming the diagnosis, he added.    [FULL  STORY]